Quote:
Originally Posted by lionfish
For the current low contrast eInk screen, I think the only way to make text looks clearer is using heavier font. Although it is not a good mimic to physical book, it is still an acceptable compromise. I'm using an old 500 only, therefore I prefer using bigger font size and there are always complaints about it from other 505 users.
I personally dislike (actually hate is a better term) sans-serif chinese fonts like hei or yuan since they simply lost the Chinese character's feel and taste (calligraphy). But on the contrary some people are very fond of using MS YaHei instead of Ming/Song, so that is a very personal taste.
As for the future, since I always keep the source HTML and I can generate a new book within seconds so that's not my main concern.
Attached is a book using smaller font size which 505 users urged. It is 26 chars by 24 rows.
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I normally agree about hei/yuan characters, and I would much rather use a decent Ming or FangSong or Kai for books. Your ZhongSong is not too bad for a simplified face, and my LiSong is decent for a traditional one, but I don't think they're especially well-suited to e-ink at all. They're usable, and they still look a bit better than some traditional woodblock stuff (horrible readability), but at small sizes, the font is not very clear (and makes for a "clumpy" consistency to the text on the page), and makes me want to squint for more detail when the detail won't be found (in reasonably high-resolution printing, on the other hand, I can read quite small type without any such strain). When enlarged to make complex characters reasonably clear, the heavy weights and serifs almost seem to take over the page and compete for attention rather than gently direct it as lighter typefaces on paper do, especially since they tend to increase in contrast (stroke thickness difference) quickly The cwTeX Ming font is quite low contrast, which would probably be very good for e-ink if the font were a little heavier. A FangSong is a great compromise in theory (and I've seen some excellent printing done with it), but for some reason, looking at a FangSong on e-ink just makes me hate e-ink more.
I guess I'm really just being nit-picky about the whole thing, and keep swinging back to a yuan/hei font because I can read it without trying to see the detail of it. It makes gliding through text on e-ink far less straining than any of the others I've found, and as reluctant as I am to appreciate a sans-serif...it just seems to work best so far in this application. There may still be hope though for something else...
Damn snobbery...but damn e-ink even more.
